1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention relates to an overhead conveyor rail for load supporting trolleys, wherein the scale rail of a weight measuring device is interposed between the adjacent, spaced ends of the conveyor rail, and wherein pushers which depend from a moving chain are utilized to initially advance a trolley onto the scale rail after which the pusher is disengaged from contact with the trolley which stops on the scale rail until it is engaged by aother pusher which removes the trolley from the scale rail out onto the other side of the conveyor rail.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The Manes U.S. Pat. No. 998,450 discloses a track scale of the type wherein a trolley is advanced over an elevated, fixed rail 21 onto a scale rail 19, by means of depending pushers 24 which engage the upper portion of a trolley mounted on the fixed rail. The pushers are secured to and carried by a flexible member which is guided upwardly, away from the scale rail for effecting disengagement of the pushers carried thereby from the trolleys, whereby each trolley is adapted to coast across the scale rail during a weighing operation and thence onto the other side of the fixed rail to be thereafter engaged by a depending pusher as the flexible member is guided downwardly toward the last mentioned fixed rail.
The Hem U.S. Pat. No. 1,701,039 discloses an overhead track scale which includes a scale rail suitably interposed between the spaced ends of a fixed trolley-supporting rail, over which the trolleys are gravitationally advanced, whereby the weight of the moving trolley may be obtained.
The Ward U.S. Pat. No. 2,083,882 disclosed a device for automatically weighing articles suspended from trolleys as the trolleys are advanced along an elongated, pivotally mounted, yieldable track section 7 of a weighing mechanism. As the trolley approaches the discharge end of the yieldable track section, it is automatically elevated whereby to be elevated into horizontal alignment with the other fixed track section. The trolleys are advanced along the main track sections by depending pushers 35 which are carried by a continuously moving chain 36. When the yieldable track section is pivotally lowered by reason of the weight of a trolley thereon, pushers 35 become disengaged from the upper ends of the trolleys, thereby permitting the trolley to gravitationally traverse the inclined track.
The Williams U.S. Pat. No. 3,108,648 discloses a device for weighing trolley-supported articles as they pass over a scale rail 15, the opposite ends of which are disposed in alignment with the spaced ends of a fixed trolley-supporting rail. The patent is silent as to the manner in which the conveyors are moved along the rails.
The McClenny U.S. Pat. No. 3,622,000 discloses an overhead conveyor over which shackles suspended from a fixed rail are advanced onto an elevated scale rail which includes means for weighing the items which are conveyed by the shackles, said shackles being continuously advanced by means of an endless cable or chain member 29.
The Hebert U.S. Pat. No. 3,642,081 discloses a rail weighing device which utilizes a scale rail section in conjunction with strain-measuring means which is adapted to generate a signal which is a function of the weight of the load of the carrier. The carriers are continuously advanced from a fixed rail section onto a scale rail section and thence onto a fixed rail section by means of depending pushers 19, which are secured to, carried by and suspended from a conveyor chain 18, suitably mounted above the rails.
The Moore U.S. Pat. No. 3,842,923 discloses an overhead track scale which includes a scale rail 14, the opposite ends of which are aligned with portions of an overhead fixed rail along which a trolley is adapted to roll freely across the scale rail, thereby enabling the weight of the article suspended from the trolley to be indicated and/or recorded by means of an electrical load cell while the trolley is moving across the scale rail.
The Erik, et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,894,592 discloses a scale for measuring the weight of articles being transported along the track of a conveyor system, by means of a weight -measuring element which is inserted in and is axially aligned with the track at the weighing station.